"the amount of alcohol consumed by girls aged between 11-13 has increased by 82.6% between 2000-2006, while for boys the number has gone up by 43.4% during the same period."
Age Concern
"Official figures show that 7,579 under-18s were admitted to hospital suffering from the effects of alcohol in the 12 months from April 2004.
That is 21 a day and is almost double the previous year's figure."
Daily Mail November 2007
So why do we drink too much?
The culture of drinking in the UK is markedly different from other European nations. In mainland Europe, alcohol tends to be consumed more slowly over the course of an evening, often accompanied by a restaurant meal. In the UK, by contrast, alcohol is generally consumed rapidly, leading much more readily to drunkenness.
Several recent newspapers reports put the blame on cheap alcohol and stress.
"Supermarkets are selling beer at a cheaper price than water, fuelling concern over their role in Britain’s binge-drinking crisis. Despite repeated public health warnings, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda now offer lager at just 22p a can – less per litre than their ownbrand-mineral water and cola, and cheap enough to allow someone to get drunk for just £1. "
The Mail on Sunday November 2007
The response to this is that a coalition of 24 charities, medical bodies and patients' groups now want the Government to increase the tax on alcohol, saying that a rise of 10 per cent would cut alcohol-related deaths by up to 30 per cent.
Britain is in the top ten of countries that drink the most alcohol
The Economist released a study on which countries drink the most. Britain comes tenth in the list with an average of just under 12 litres of alcohol drunk by each person in a year. In America, where stricter minumum-age requirements apply, the average person drinks 8.6 litres a year.
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3 comments:
I am an American who enjoys drinking and is no slouch. I married an Englishman and I am pretty shocked and surprised how drunk people in our age group, 40ish, get so sloppy drunk on a daily basis, especially the weekends! Honestly, I find it a bit childish and silly.
You must understand how silly the article looks when you used "to" instead of "too" in the title. It seems almost as if you have be drinking too much.
The availability of cheap, 'booze', from supermarkets must be contributory to this problem. Years ago, the only places you could buy drink was from off-licences and some more established, reputable supermarkets. The price was also a little more expensive, (relatively speaking), than it is now. Young people, years ago, also didn't have an much disposable income as they seem to, nowadays.
It's true to say that the culture within the UK, amongst young people, is to get, 'pissed', consuming as much cheap booze as is possible, within the shortest time. They're also of an age were they're more susceptible to the effects of alcohol and their behaviour, tends to deteriorate accordingly, leading to alcohol-related crime, etc.
Most people, however, get passed this stage by the time they reach their mid-20's, and learn to moderate and control the amount of drink they consume. Having had one too many hangovers, is a sure-fire way of learning to know when you've had enough! (I should know.!!) There are always exceptions, though. I'm in my 30's, and the idea of drinking to excess just doesn't appeal to me, anymore. Once I've reached the zenith of enjoyment from having a drink, there's no point in continuing. Not only is it a one-way ticket to having a bad head/stomach the next morning, but you're also paying for the privilege it, too!
Drinking is mainly a social activity in the UK, and the majority of those who partake are sensible drinkers. They are responsible and know their limits, having grown out of the, 'I've got to get pissed as quickly as possible to prove to my mates how tough I am!!', mentality, which a lot of younger people seem to have. Unfortunately, there are those, (not all, but some), who are all to easily able to get hold of cheap, 'booze', who then find some public area, (a local park, etc.), to consume their favourite tipple in, getting inebriated to the point where they become a public nuisance, giving the rest of the younger people a bad press.
Increasing tax on alcohol may well reduce the amount of alcohol that young people can afford to consume, but it's not the answer. It's not dealing with the problem at hand. In fact, it will penalise the more sensible drinkers, who would also have to pay out for the price hike, in order to enjoy a drink, through no fault of their own. The real answer is to diligently enforce the laws regarding underage drinking; Make cheap booze in supermarkets less accessible to young people; Educate young people of the dangers of over-consumption of alcohol; Make the idea of drinking less glamorous through the media, etc.
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